Fighting Against Fate
by nightflame
Summary: COMPLETE! I'm not anti-sorato, i'm just PRO TAIORA!! you can fight against fate all you want - sometimes, some things are just meant to be.
1. a midnight visitor

**nightflame:** *pacing* AHHHHH damn writers block. what in the world can I write about? I haven't written a fanfic in a while.  
**taichi:** *entering* hey nightflame. *sits down and sighs heavily*  
**nightflame:** sup taichi? *notices taichi's depressed face* what's wrong?   
**taichi:** *gives nightflame a look* what do you mean, what's wrong? the love of my life is in the arms of another...my best friend  
**nightflame:** ouch...well, ya know...*inspiration hits* I know what to write about!!   
**taichi:** huh?   
**nightflame:** well, there are what, 25 years in between the final showdown and the last episode? This is what happened in during that time.   
**taichi:** I still don't get it.   
**nightflame:** I'm going to write a taiora  
**taichi:** taiora?   
**nightflame:** yea, you know, a story about the relationship between you and sora  
**taichi:** really?   
**nightflame:** *keys clacking away* yea...all I see lately are Soratos...c'mon Taiora writers, let's get going here!   
**taichi:** okay. don't you need a disclaimer or something?   
**nightflame:** *stops abruptly* damn you taichi!! you just reminded me that I DON'T OWN DIGIMON!!!!   
**taichi:***hides* sorry...?   
**nightflame:** whatever...that should be enough of a disclaimer. *goes back to writing*  


(' ') denotes thoughts 

**Fighting Against Fate**

Chapter 1: a midnight visitor  
  
  
  
  
The young man stared at his laptop. Blinking blearily, he sighed and turned away to look at the clock. 

11:57pm. 

How long had he been working on that paper? He rubbed his eyes exhaustedly. He had been staring at that computer screen for too long. _'I wonder if this is how Koushiro feels after working' _

Taichi Kamiya pushed away from his desk. _'I need some hot tea'_ he decided. Shuffling towards his kitchen, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The time in the digital world had heightened his senses and his instincts. He knew someone was nearby. He glanced around the empty apartment. _'Maybe I've been working too hard on that paper. I'm starting to get edgy'_ he decided. 

As he passed the front door, he heard a noise. _'Who would be at my front door at midnight?'_ he thought nervously. Silently, he grabbed a golf club from the bag near his door. "Who's there?" he called out. He heard nothing. Preparing himself, he flung open the door and raised his club, poised for attack. "Ahh!!" 

"Ahh!" a young female cried out, covering herself with her arms. Tai froze. "Sor- Sora?" A young woman with reddish-brown hair was crouched down on his doorstep, cowering. 

"Taichi?" 

Tai stood there shocked. "What are you doing here? And so late?" Straightening up, Sora looked at him. "Uhm, Taichi, if you don't mind, could you put down the golf club? I'm not gonna attack you" 

Taichi looked at her, confused for a minute. Looking up, he noticed that his club was still poised for an attack. Hastily, he pulled his arm down and threw the club behind him. "Heh heh. Sorry" he apologized nervously. As he looked at her eyes, he noticed that they were red and puffy. "Have you been...crying?" he asked gently. Tears filled her eyes and she trembled. "Oh Tai!" she cried, throwing herself into his arms. 

Tai stood there in shock. Awkwardly, he patted her back. "It's all right, don't worry, just tell me what's wrong" he whispered soothingly. 

Sora pulled away, hiccupping slightly. "Yamato and I (hiccup) Yamato and I...had a fight and...and..." Tears started to roll down her face. "and he said that he didn't know what he was thinking when he got involved with me" She started to sob quietly. 

"Sor, it's okay. I'm sure it was just in the heat of the moment that he said that" Tai said soothingly. Inwardly, he was seething. It had killed him to see the love of his life in the arms of his best friend, but he attempted to let her go and move on with his life. If anything, Yamato had made her happy. And Tai convinced himself that her happiness was all that mattered. 

And now, here she was crying her heart out over an argument. Various ways to inflict pain on Yamato ran through his head until a soft hiccupping interrupted his thoughts. As he looked upon Sora's miserable face, all thoughts flew out of his head and his first concern was to comfort her. "Sor, c'mon in, it's cold out here on the doorstep" Nodding, Sora walked in as Tai moved aside to give her room. 

Silently, he closed the door behind her and followed her into the living room. Sora walked into the small apartment and sat down on his couch. 

"Do you want some tea? I was about to make myself a cup" Tai offered. Finally finding her voice, Sora replied. "Yes. Thanks" 

Taichi headed off towards the kitchen and set the water. He reached for some cups when he realized something. He really needed to do the dishes. Sighing heavily, he grabbed two cups and washed them rapidly. Once he heard the harsh scream of the teakettle, he turned off the gas and quickly poured two cups of the scalding liquid into the cups. Holding the two cups, he walked into the living room, he noticed Sora quickly pushing away his laptop with a slightly guilty look. "Sor? What were you doing?" he asked in a teasing tone. 

"Noth- nothing" she stammered. Tai simply gave her a look as he handed her the cup. "I was just looking at your paper" she admitted. 

"Oh that thing. I've been working on it for the last couple days and it's getting me so frustrated" he replied. "If I had known in the beginning how much work it took to become an ambassador, I would have never started" he said exasperated. Sora simply smiled. They sat there in silence for bit before Tai decided to try and venture into the subject of why she was there. "Anyway, Sora, about this fight that you and Yamato had..." 

"When did you take up golf, Tai?" Sora interrupted quickly. "I never knew you had any interest at all in that sport" 

Taichi looked at her. He could see how desperate she was to avoid the subject. Rather than make her uncomfortable, he decided to go along. "Well, it was my professor's suggestion. Apparently, people don't usually work on foreign relations over a game of soccer" 

"As ambassador to the digital world, I wouldn't think many digimon would know how to golf" Sora replied laughingly. Taichi smiled. "Well, I'm not an ambassador for the digital world yet. Debates on establishing contact with the digital world are still being debated. That's sort of what my paper is about. I'm taking all these classes on foreign and public relations in preparation" 

Sora smiled. "All these years I've known you, yet I never took into consideration that you'd want to become an ambassador. Then again, I'd never think you'd cut your hair either" 

Taichi smiled ruefully and ran his hand through his now short hair. "It's weird, you know? I've had big hair all my life and now...it's gone. I took it for granted. It was a part of me; I thought it'd always be there" _'Just like I did with you'_ he thought. "Anyway," he continued, shaking his head, "it takes a lot less time to dry my hair now" 

Sora laughed. "I always wondered how long it took you to dry your hair" Taichi laughed. "A long, long time" Sora giggled and picked up her cup and sipped it. "Uhm, Taichi?" 

"Yes?" 

"I think you forgot to add the tea" "Nani?" Taichi looked down at his cup of...hot water. He blushed. "Uh, sorry, hold on, I'll go get some teabags" he said embarrassed. Quickly, he walked toward the kitchen and scoured the cupboards for some teabags. After a little search, he grabbed a couple bags and walked back toward the living room. 

As he walked back in, he noticed that Sora had fallen asleep on the couch. Smiling, he walked over and gently gathered her in his arms and carried her into his extra bedroom. Placing her softly on the bed, he covered her with a blanket. Hesitating slightly, he decided that one little kiss wouldn't hurt; she was sleeping. He kissed her lightly on the forehead and walked to the door. 

Flicking off the light, he turned and looked at her one last time. "Good night...my love" he called out softly, closing the door behind him.   
  
  
  
  
**taichi:** damn yamato!! I'll kill him!! Making Sora cry...  
**nightflame:** calm down Taichi. There'll be no killing in this story.  
**taichi:** well, could I at least send Jun after him?   
**nightflame:** NO- no one deserves that kind of torture. Anyway, people, take a note from the review box...be a responsible reader and write a review...it takes like...1 minute. Work on your typing skills and leave me praise or constructive criticism 


	2. breakfast confessions

**nightflame:** *sleeping peacefully at her desk*  
**taichi:** NIGHTFLAME!!  
**nightflame:** AHHHH!!! *falls out of chair* WHAT??   
**taichi:** *innocently* I thought you might want to get started on the second chapter of your story.   
**nightflame:** oh...*rubs head* I guess I could...*wearily climbs back into chair and starts typing*  
**taichi:** and so that she continues writing about sora and me together, I'm going to do the disclaimer for her.  
**nightflame:** *growls angrily* I don't...  
**taichi:** calm down, just type. She doesn't own digimon and isn't making any money off of this so don't bother suing her. Apparently, like every other fanfiction writer, she's broke. Hey nightflame, how about...*goes off on various ways to get him and Sora together*  
  
(' ') denotes thoughts  
(~*~) denotes flashback  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: breakfast confessions   
  
  
  
  
Sora Takenouchi awoke to the smell of pancakes. _'Pancakes? But Yamato hates American breakfast food'_ she thought confused. As she sat up in the bed, she immediately noticed something. She had no clue where she was. As she gazed upon the shelves, she saw soccer balls and trophies in various places. _'Soccer balls? Trophies?'_ Her gaze fell upon a picture frame on the dresser. 

It was the same picture she had back home, the one all the original digidestined had. The 8 of them and their digimon friends after they had defeated Apocolymon and before they went home. Smiling, Sora turned and noticed the nightstand on the bed. Upon it sat a picture of Taichi and Agumon. Her memory slowly returned to her as she recalled where she was. She had gone to Taichi's apartment after she and Yamato had that horrible fight. A memory of her and Yamato the night before flashed into her head. Shaking her head to rid herself of those memories, she looked at the other pictures that crowded the nightstand. 

A picture of Hikari and Taichi when they were little, a picture of Hikari and her boyfriend, Takeru, and then the picture that took her breath away. She picked it up, looking at it more closely. It was a picture of her and Taichi when they were little; Taichi on the ground with a grimace of pain, a soccer ball to the side, and Sora giving him a kiss on the forehead. She smiled as she recalled that incident. 

~*~ 

"Soccer's really easy Sora! I just kick the ball toward your goal and you kick it toward mine" Taichi assured her. "That's it?" she asked a bit unsure. "That's it!" he said, with his trademark goofy grin. "Okay..." she said. "Here, you can start with the ball" Taichi replied, placing the ball in front of her. Then, he turned and ran down the field a bit. He turned around "Okay, now you--oomph!" As he was running, Sora had kicked the ball. Hard. It flew through the air and hit Tai smack on the head as he turned around. "Omigosh!!" Sora cried as Tai fell down on his butt. 

"Ow!!" he cried out. Sora ran over to him. "I'm so sorry Taichi!" she apologized. 

"It's okay Sora. It doesn't hurt too much" he replied rubbing his head. "You want me to kiss it and make it all better?" Sora asked innocently. "Huh?" was his reply, a look of pain still on his small face. 

Sora leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Better?" she asked. Taichi looked up at her, a bit shocked. Then he smiled. "Yea. Let's play" he said, getting back up. 

~*~ 

"I can't believe he has a picture of that" she mused quietly. "Well, my mom basically had the camera attached to her wrist. I think everything Hikari and I ever did until Hikari turned 6 is documented by camera. I think that's where Hikari gets her passion for photography" a voice rang out from the door. Startled, Sora looked up. Taichi stood there, a goofy grin on his face. "Breakfast is ready whenever you are" he said with a smile before he headed back toward the kitchen. 

Sora smiled and carefully put the picture back on the nightstand. Heading toward the washroom, she washed her face and looked in the mirror. Her eyes were still slightly red from all the crying last night, but she felt much better. Drying her face, she went toward the kitchen to join Tai for breakfast. 

Sitting down at the table, she found a well-sized breakfast in front of her. "Taichi, you didn't have to make so much food just for because I'm here. I'm not that hungry" A stack of pancakes, eggs, and bacon sat on the kitchen table. Taichi poured two cups of orange juice. "I know, I figured as much. I only made a couple extra pancakes than I usually do" Sora looked at him amazed. 

"And exactly how many pancakes do you usually eat in the morning?" she asked incredulously, as he sat down and put a couple of pancakes on his plate. 

"Uhm" he thought as poured syrup on and cut into the pancakes, "Maybe around 5?" he answered, as he shoveled the food into his mouth. Sora stared at him shocked before she smiled. "I see your appetite hasn't changed since we were last in the digital world" She lifted a couple pancakes onto her plate and poured some syrup on them. 

"No, they haven't" he answered cheerily. "But my cooking has become a lot better!" Sora laughed joyfully when a realization hit her. Abruptly, she stopped laughing and the smile on her face faded. "Sora?" Tai stopped eating and looked up at her. "What's wrong?" A look of concern crossed his face. 

_'I shouldn't tell him'_ Sora thought frantically. _'If I'm not happy, it's no one's business'_ thought faltered when she looked at Taichi's anxious face. She tried to force a smile but instead words forced themselves out of her mouth. "I just haven't laughed in a long time" 

"Why not?" Taichi looked at her worriedly. Sora looked away. _'I can't tell him. What does it say if the guardian of love is unable to have a relationship?'_ "It's nothing Tai" she said softly, staring at the table. "Really, It's nothing" _'I will not break down at the breakfast table'_ she scolded herself. _'This is something I'll work out alone...all alone'_ she thought bitterly. 

Taichi looked at Sora. She was hiding something. "Sora..." he said softly. "Please..." he said imploringly. Slowly, Sora looked up and looked Taichi in the eyes. As she looked into his worried chocolate eyes, she could feel herself breaking. He always had that effect on her. She tried valiantly to resist the urge to throw herself into his arms and confess everything. Instead she gripped the side of her chair tightly. 

"It's nothing" she said tightly, trying to convince him and herself at the same time. Taichi simply looked at her, his eyes expressing everything. "Sora..." he repeated helplessly. She stared into eyes, feeling all walls of resistance breaking. She wanted to look away but she knew she couldn't. Slowly, without breaking eye contact, Taichi got up and walked over to the other side of the table. He stopped next to Sora. Silently, he pulled her out of her seat. Gently, he pulled her into a hug. 

"Sora" he said, his voice racked with emotion, "I hate seeing you hurting like this. Please...please, just tell me what's wrong. Tell me what I can do to help" he whispered. Sora, at first, stiffened at the soft embrace. However, she felt herself melting into him. "Oh Tai" she whispered. She buried her face into his shoulder. "It hurts so much" And she cried. And he simply held her.   
  
  
  
  
Later that afternoon, Sora sat on Taichi's couch, watching television. He had left an hour ago for his class, despite his protests that he could miss one if she needed him. She sent him off, reassuring him that she'd be fine. She felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She had confessed everything to Tai; how her relationship with Yamato seemed to be failing; his accusations that she was in love with someone else. He had simply held her and listened, saying nothing. When she finished, he gave her a gentle hug and reassured her that she could stay at his place as long as she needed, or if she preferred, he could call Hikari and she could stay with her. 

Sora had opted to stay with him. Everything in her apartment just reminded her too much of Yamato. As she thought back to that decision, she didn't know why she just didn't decide to stay at Hikari's. 'Maybe because I don't want to interrupt her life. She's so busy, with photography, school, and Takeru' Sora used those reasons to convince herself that if it wasn't for those factors, she would have stayed with Hikari. 

However, the real reason she stayed, she refused to admit to herself. She denied it and wouldn't allow herself to even listen to the silent, nagging voice told her why she decided to stay with Taichi. 'You're falling for him again' it told her. Refusing to consider it, she abruptly stood up. "I should clean Taichi's apartment for him" she stated to the empty room. Looking around she nodded. "His eating habits haven't changed since he was 15. Neither has his cleaning habits- he has none" Grabbing some cleaning materials, she absorbed herself into her work.   
  
  
  
  
When Taichi came back from his class, he did a double take, and checked the number on the door again. "Wow" he whistled quietly. The apartment was...well, it was clean. The golf clubs that had been thrown carelessly on the floor before had been picked up and was sitting neatly near the door. And the floor...well, apparently, he had a brown wooden floor. He didn't want to put his bag down; he was afraid he'd mess up the apartment. Carefully, he took off his shoes and put on his slippers. As he passed by the kitchen he stopped and stared. Spotless. "Sora?" he called out. He made his way into the living room, where Sora sat at the table, absorbed in what she as doing. Walking over, he looked over her shoulder. She was drawing clothes. "Sora?" he called out again. "Ah!" she exclaimed, jumping in fright. "Taichi!! Don't sneak up on me!" 

He laughed. "Never thought you'd go into fashion designing" he said teasingly. 

"Hey, you cut your hair, anything's possible" she replied, a smile in her eyes and on her face. He grinned and plopped down on the couch. He sighed happily and closed his eyes. "Taichi?" she looked at him anxiously. "What's up? Did something happen?" Suddenly, Taichi threw up his arms and legs and waved them joyously. "I'M FREE!!!!" he yelled in a blissful voice. 

"Free?" Sora asked confused. "What do you mean?" 

"My paper. I finished" he answered happily. "What paper? The one I saw on your laptop last night?" He nodded in affirmation. 

"But...but I thought you weren't done with that" 

"I wasn't when you came" he explained. "After you fell asleep, the tea kept me awake and I finished it. So for the next couple weeks I don't have to worry about it" 

"Just weeks? You're not done with it?" 

Taichi sat up straight and looked at her. "No, during the next couple weeks, my professor looks over it. After that time, I either get a grade or I get the paper back" he shuddered at that thought. "If you get it back, that means it has some major unanswered questions. Basically, you end up writing it again" Sora looked at him in amusement. "Has that happened to you?" 

"Not yet" he replied and smiled. "I hope it never does" Sora smiled and opened her mouth to comment when the phone rang. Taichi walked over and picked it up. 

"Moshi moshi" Sora listened to his half of the conversation. "Hey there! How are you doing? ... I'm doing alright ... What? ... well, uhm ... not exactly ... well, I've been busy ... yes I know ... no, no I don't ... okay ... okay ... calm down! I won't ruin the wedding ... No, I won't show up in a t-shirt and jeans ... okay I will ... yes, today ... right now ... I'm going, I promise ... okay ... I'll talk to you later ... bye" he hung up the phone wearily. "Oy vey" Sora raised her eyebrow and looked at him. He looked at Sora. "What?" 

"Who was that?" 

"Hikari. She was calling to make sure I was ready for Miyako and Ken's wedding" 

"What do you mean, ready?" 

"Well, uhm, I sort of have to get a suit" Sora looked at him incredulously. "As ambassador to the digital world, shouldn't you already have a suit?" 

"As I keep reminding all of you, as of yet, there is no relations with the 'foreign' digital world. And I'm not an ambassador yet" 

"The wedding is in two weeks Tai" 

"So? Can't I buy one the weekend before?" Sora shot him a look. "Uhm okay, I won't. Besides, I told Hikari that I'd go get one today" he sighed. "Shopping is evil" he stated simply. Sora giggled. "Don't worry Tai. I'll help you find the perfect suit" 

Taichi sighed. "Why do people insist on finding the 'perfect' suit? Why can't an ordinary one do?" Sora laughed and got up. "C'mon Taichi" she tugged at his arm. "I know a great place to get you a suit" He looked at her with a mischievous look in his eyes. "Why don't you just design me one?" Sora stopped and considered the idea before she shook her head. "You could never afford my fees" she replied smiling. "C'mon, let's go shopping!!" she said gleefully, dragging a reluctant Taichi after her.   
  
  
  
  
  
**nightflame: ** hmmm, not bad. I actually got two chapters done.   
**taichi: ** you had her take me shopping??  
**nightflame: ** what? It's not that bad.  
**taichi: ** well, if you're going to make her take me shopping, I think you should put my idea into your story.  
**nightflame: ** *exasperated* taichi, how would you confessing your feelings to her on a riverboat in Italy make sense in this story?  
**taichi: ** hey, it's a fanfiction. Anything's possible.  
**nightflame: ** no.  
**taichi: ** okay fine. How about I pay someone to write my feelings for her in skywriting?  
**nightflame: ** no  
**taichi: ** how about...  
**nightflame: ** taichi!! No! I have the entire story planned out in my head already. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, it'll get more interesting, I promise. Here's something for you readers to ponder. Who's Sora going to go to the wedding with?   
**taichi: ** what do you mean?  
**nightflame: ** well, no one besides Tai at the moment know about Sora and Yamato's...relational problems. Is she going to make them public?   
**taichi: ** now really, I think that you should have Sora just dump Yamato and stay with me.   
**nightflame: ** now, that wouldn't be much of a story would it? Now be silent or I'll sic Icefall on you.   
**taichi: ** you know what you could do?  
**nightflame:** taichi, I don't want to hear it. Anyway, review!! Leave something for Taichi to read while I'm typing away. Maybe it'll stop making him give me suggestions if he has something to do. *hint*hint*nudge*nudge* aight ja ne!  



	3. wedding blues

taichi: nightflame

taichi: nightflame...

nightflame: no taichi.

taichi: nightflame...

nightflame: no taichi, I will not have Yamato be caught in a corner by Jun.

taichi: nightfla...why not?

nightflame: no.

taichi: *looks disappointed*

nightflame: he's your best friend! You want that to happen to him?

taichi: *thoughtfully* I guess you're right. That's not being much of a friend.

nightflame: I thought as much.

taichi: actually, I wanted to know who Icefall was?

nightflame: Icefall? He's my dragon counterpart. My colors are black and red (night & flame...get it?) and his are blue and silver. He's a dragon and I'm a human (dang it). He's my opposite. 

taichi: nightflame? You do know that dragons don't exist, don't you?

nightflame: and you're just an anime character. To quote calvin and hobbes, 'reality keeps ruining my life' grr. Oh well, I still have my little fantasy land, where dragons and anime characters exist and roam free. 

taichi: I can't believe you're 18 years old. You act 8.

nightflame: so? 'childhood is short, but immaturity is forever' bill watterson's a genius. (the creator of calvin and hobbes) anyway, onto the third chapter!!! I finally got some actual takari in it...standard disclaimers apply.

Chapter 3: wedding blues

Taichi sighed as Sora put yet another suit into his arms. "This might look good on you too. Try it. Oo, and this shirt looks nice" she held it up against him, judging the colors against him. "Yea, try it. Oh, and this tie would look good with that shirt" she deposited into his arms. "Soraaaa" he whined. "That's the fifth suit in the last hour" She gave him a look. "Well, it's all in the name of fashion" Taichi grumbled mutinously. "Never go shopping with a future fashion designer" Sora looked at him and laughed. His arms were full of suits, shirts, and ties. She took pity on him. "Okay that's enough for now. Go try them on" she directed him toward the dressing room. He headed off in the direction she sent him, muttering the entire way about the evils of shopping. After a little bit, Tai walked out in one of the suits. Sora studied him carefully and walked around him. "No, I don't think so. The shirt doesn't look good with the suit. Go try that blue shirt from the beginning" Obediently, he walked back into the dressing room and changed. When he walked back out, Sora walked around him again before she sent him back in. This happened a couple times until finally, Taichi insisted that Sora sit down while he thought up a combination and she could tell him what she thought. Sora sat down and let her thoughts wandered. She loved being with Tai. His playful attitude just brought a smile to her face. '**_And he's so cute too__' she thought.__ 'Ack! Where did that come from??_****Oh please, you know that you think that. What are you talking about? ****It's so obvious, it's sad. Shut up, shut up, shut up!' she pounded into her head. "I am NOT falling for him" she muttered to herself quietly. "I'm not in love with..." Suddenly a thought popped into her head. Yamato. Checking the dressing room, Taichi still hadn't come out. She grabbed her purse and opened her cell phone. Calling her apartment, she checked for messages. Hmm...one from her mother asking about lunch, one from the landlord reminding her that the apartment was going to be fumigated in a couple days, and one from Miyako reminding her about a bridesmaid fitting the day after tomorrow. Nothing from him. She didn't know what to think. Usually, he called her the day after an argument. Then again, did she even want him to call? Half of her said yes, but the other half kept flashing a picture of Taichi in her head. Her lip trembled slightly. The message from Miyako reminded her of something else. They had received the invitations for the wedding so long ago. At that time, she and Yamato were going to go together. But now...she closed her eyes, partly out of frustration and partly to stop the tears from coming. "Sora? What's wrong?" a soft voice penetrated her thoughts. Slowly, she opened her eyes and gazed into a pair of worried chocolate brown eyes. **

Taichi had walked out of the dressing room to see Sora, her eyes closed with a pained expression on her face. Softly, he called her name. As she opened her eyes, he could see the tears gathering. "What's wrong?" he asked again, and she looked away slightly. "Nothing" Taichi looked at her skeptically and replied, "We've been through this already Sora. You can tell me" Still looking away, she answered so softly, he had to strain to hear her. "He still...still hasn't called...and the wedding...Yamato...and I...together" Suddenly, Taichi realized where this was heading. Why hadn't he thought of that? With some quick thought, he spoke to her. "Look Sora. I think you should talk to Hikari. There's a good chance she may already know" She shot him a panicked and slightly suspicious look. "No, I didn't tell her or anything like that. But you know...Takeru?" Her expression relaxed slightly. "And you could talk to Takeru. I'm sure he could tell you..." he faltered. "You know..." Sora stopped him and gave him a soft smile. "I'll do that" He smiled. It relieved him so much just to see her smile. And it brought him such joy. Slowly, he realized that Sora was staring at him in shock and delight. "What?" he asked confused. "Taichi...that combination...the suit...everything...it's perfect!" "Really?" he answered, pleased. Sora laughed. "Who knows, maybe if being ambassador to digital world doesn't work out, you could go into fashion design" she teased. "I don't think so" Taichi answered, smiling. 

Hikari stretched out on the sofa. A rather large textbook sat on one knee and a notebook on the other. A pencil behind her ear, she yawned. Behind her, a young man placed a cup of coffee on the table next to her and kissed her once on the cheek. Smiling gratefully at him, she picked up the coffee and sipped it. "Mmm, what is this?" she asked, smiling at her boyfriend. Takeru sat down on the loveseat next to sofa. "Hazelnut flavored coffee. I saw it at the grocery store and decided to try it out. Tastes pretty good, eh?" Hikari smiled seductively as an idea popped into her head. Putting the book and notebook on the table, she got up and walked over to him and sat in his lap before she replied. "Yea it does, but I think I prefer the taste of you. What do you think?" she purred. "Mmm" he murmured. She leaned in and tasted his lips. Just as the two lovebirds were getting into it (A/N get your mind out of the gutter people. They're just kissing...rather passionately, but that's it...I am not a lemon writer) when the inevitable happened. The phone rang. "Damnit" Takeru muttered pulling away. Hikari glared at the phone before snatching it up. Composing herself, she answered. "Moshi moshi" she answered a bit bitterly. "Hikari?" Sora's voice came out over the phone. "Sora?" Hikari answered confused. "Can I come over? Or is this a bad time?" Hikari shot a look at her boyfriend who was clueless to the exchange going on. "Sure, where are you?" "I'm in the shopping mall about a block from your apartment. I'll be there about 5 minutes" "All right, come on over ... okay, bye" Hikari replied before shutting off the phone. "That was Sora" she informed Takeru. "Sora? She's here?" he replied with a confused look on his face. "I know" Hikari answered. "She'll be here in a couple minutes" Getting off her boyfriend's lap, she quickly straightened up the living room. A couple minutes later, she heard a knocking at her door. "Coming!" she called out. Takeru had gone to the kitchen to get another cup of coffee for Sora and to scour up some snacks. Hikari ran over to the door and opened it. Sora stood there a bit uncertainly. Hikari ushered her in and walked with her to the living room. The two girls sat down on the couch. Seconds later, Takeru walked out with a cup of coffee for Sora and some vanilla wafers. "So Sora, what's up? Why are you...well, why are you here?" Hikari asked, emphasizing the word 'here' Sora looked at Hikari a bit confused. " What do you mean here? I needed to talk to you and Takeru about something" she replied slowly. Hikari and Takeru shot each other glances. "What is it?" Sora asked suspiciously. "Well, it's just..." Takeru started hesitantly, "We thought you were with Yamato" Sora stared at the couple, shocked. "What do you mean, with Yamato?" she stared at the two who looked at each other guiltily. "Well," Takeru started saying "he just sort of called me last night saying that he was taking off for a couple days. Something about being ready for Miyako and Ken's wedding. We thought you two would be together" Sora nodded mutely. He promised the couple that he would sing them something for their wedding. '_That's why he hasn't called" she mused. But then again, did she want him to? Did she really want to keep together what excuse of a relationship they had? But she had given herself to him; she had loved him with all her heart, but why was it that this relationship was failing? Takeru looked at Sora sympathetically. He looked at her as a sister. And he had a feeling either way, she would actually be his sister. Through Yamato...or Hikari. However, he kept that thought to himself. "Look Sora, I'm sure he'll be back before the wedding and you two can work out any problems" Sora looked at him. She hadn't said anything about them fighting. Then again, Takeru and Hikari seemed to have a way of understanding and noticing things that others didn't. It was part of the reason those two were so special. "Yea" Hikari interjected. "If anything, we're all going to be there early because we're part of the ceremony. No one will notice if you two don't come together" she said kindly. Sora smiled at the two. "Thanks you guys" She got up. "I've taken up enough of your time. I have to stop by my apartment and picked up some stuff if I'm going to stay with Tai for the next couple weeks. I'll see you later" Takeru stood up and walked her toward the door. While Takeru was walking Sora to the door, Hikari leaned by wearily against the couch. Something was wrong between Sora and Yamato. She hated it as much as her brother did when Sora was hurt. She looked up at Sora like the older sister she never had. "And" Hikari mused quietly "I know Taichi never stopped loving her"_

nightflame: *pushes away from the desk* Ahhh, nice.

taichi: what are you doing?? 

nightflame: I¡¯m done for now. I'll finish it later

taichi: what do you mean later??? How much more torture are you gonna put me though?

nightflame: torture?

taichi: when am Sora and I going to get together??

nightflame: I can't tell you that! That'd ruin the story!!

taichi: *grumbling* how many more chapters are left??

nightflame: well, at couple more at least...

taichi: a couple more??? C'mon already!!

nightflame: hmm...well, if I get more reviews, maybe they'll come out faster. People reviewed!! AHH I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!! Review my other stories too¡¦in total, I have like¡¦10 reviews. Eh. Anyway, the chapters come out faster the more reviews I get. (reviews make nightflame happy) ^_^

taichi: REVIEW!! People please!! *gets on his knees* PLEASE!!


	4. reunion

nightflame: *eating* mmm food

nightflame: *eating* mmm food...*walks into the room to see Taichi hunched over the computer* uhm, Taichi? What are you doing?

taichi: well, if you're not gonna write faster, I'm going to write this story for you!

nightflame: *sweatdrops* uhm, no. *runs over and pushes taichi away* what the heck are you writing? *reads* WHAT? Taichi!! How does that make sense?!?!

taichi: what do you mean?

nightflame: suddenly, you and Sora are in Italy? That¡¯s it. No more of that. 

taichi: *gives nightflame puppy eyes* please??

nightflame: well¡¦maybe later. what would you say if I told you I have all but the last 2 chapters done?

taichi: *hovering over nightflame* do Sora and I get together over the next couple chapters?

nightflame: *pushes taichi aside* We'll see. Disclaimer please.

taichi: *sighing* she doesn't own digimon.

nightflame: *cheerfully* thank you!

Chapter 4: Reunion

A week and a half later, Taichi stood outside his apartment. He couldn't believe it. All that effort. Wasted. Sighing heavily, he pushed open the door and walked in. "Sora?" he called out. '_Hmm. Maybe she went out' he thought. Putting on his slippers, he shuffled off toward the living room. As he passed by the bathroom, he heard something. '__What the heck?' "Sora?" he called out again. Standing outside the bathroom, he heard it. Someone was in there. "Sora!" he cried and pushed the door open. There she was, hunched over the toilet, puking. "Sora!" he cried out (A/N how many times is he going to call out her name?) "Are you okay? What's wrong?" Wearily, Sora pushed herself away from the toilet and flushed it. "I'm just feeling under the weather, that's all" Taichi looked at her concerned. "Maybe you should go see the doctor" "No, I'll be fine in a couple days" she protested weakly. _

¡°C¡¯mon Sor, better safe then sorry¡±

¡°Taichi, please, I¡¯ll be fine in a couple of days. It¡¯s a passing thing¡± Taichi could see that this was getting nowhere. Desperately, he thought of an excuse. "No, please, just go. I won't be able to concentrate on my paper if you're sick" 

"Paper?" she replied. "Yea, I got it back. Too many unanswered questions apparently" he said lightly.

"Oh Taichi. I'm so sorry" She gave him an apologetic look. He brushed it off. "It's nothing. I'm more worried about you. Sora, please, you should see the doctor. I'll call him for you right now" "Taichi..." she started to protest but Tai waved her silent. "No. You're seeing the doctor" he said firmly. He got down on his knees and looked her in the eyes. "Do it for me" he pleaded gently. She looked at him, expressionless. Finally, she bowed her head. "Okay" she whispered. He smiled. "That's my girl" he murmured as he helped her off the floor. 

The next day, Sora walked back into the apartment to find Taichi, sitting in his workspace, otherwise known as the living room table, frustrated. "You okay Taichi?" she asked. 

"Huh?" He looked up from the computer. "Oh Sora! How was the doctor's appointment?" 

"Normal" she answered. "Answered some questions, he took some blood. He said he'd call here or my cell phone when he got the results. How's the paper coming?" Taichi sighed. "Horribly. I have no idea how to answer these questions my professor has for me. I mean, I thought I had answered them. But apparently, not enough for my professor's liking" he sighed, once again, his frustration evident. Sora smiled at him. She leaned down and kissed him lightly on the cheek. She looked him deeply into his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t let it get you down¡±

Taichi looked up at her. In the last couple of weeks, the happy, loving Sora he knew and loved returned. He could feel her passionate red eyes staring into his soul. Slowly, she leaned down as his hand reached up and softly held the back of her neck, bringing her closer. Both of them closed their eyes as they leaned ever closer together. She could feel his hot breath upon her lips when the phone rang, shrilly, causing the two to jump and separate. With an expressionless face, Taichi quickly turned back toward his laptop. Sora, who was breathing rather heavily, took a moment to compose herself before she answered the phone. "Moshi moshi ... oh hi Hikari ... hai ... yea, I'm coming right now ... tell the others I'll be there soon ... okay ... bye" Softly she hung up the phone. "That was Hikari" she said dumbly. "She was just calling me to remind me about the bachelorette party" Taichi looked at her sideways and nodded mutely. "So...I'll be back a little later okay?" 

Taichi glanced over and opened his mouth as to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, he just nodded his head in affirmation. He watched silently as Sora left the apartment. A million thoughts ran through his head. They were so close. He could still feel her breath on her lips. He had wanted her so badly¡¦if he had been a second faster¡¦he shivered slightly. "I need a cold shower" he muttered to himself, closing his laptop and heading off toward his bathroom. 

"Sora! Sora, over here!" an excited voice called out from the back of the restaurant. Smiling, she made her way over to the group of giggling girls. Miyako, Mimi, and Hikari sat, clustered around a small table. Sora looked around. "Where's everyone else?" Miyako smiled. "This is the pre-bachelorette party" she said smiling. Sora looked at the group of girls and laughed. For the next hour or so, the four girls ate themselves through a very large meal. "Hey Sora," Sora looked up from her food. "You seem to be happier than usual" Mimi stated slyly. "Why would that be?" Sora blushed. 

"You know, you're right" Miyako added, with a teasing grin. "Maybe it's because she's been staying at a certain someone's apartment for the last couple weeks". At this, Sora turned an uncanny shade of red. 

Laughingly, Hikari joined in. "Spill it Sora. Something's up" Sora looked at the three girls, who had, in essence, backed her into a corner. "It's just" she looked at the expectant faces of the three girls. "Well, during these last couple of weeks...I sort of...well...I think I've sort of had feelings for Taichi" she mumbled quickly. ¡°Meaning?¡± Mimi pressed. Apparently, they weren¡¯t going to let her off that easy. Sora glanced around the room, looking for a means of escape. ¡®_Damnit, Miyako just had to get a table in a corner, didn__¡¯__t she?_¡¯¡¯ She looked at the other girls. They stared at her like a pack of hungry wolves. Sora cringed. She might as well confess. Otherwise, there was no way she¡¯d get out of that corner alive. ¡°I¡¯m in love with Taichi¡± she uttered quickly, in the softest tone she could manage. Cries of exclamation and triumph rang out from the small corner, causing the other restaurant patrons to stop eating and look at the group of girls in disdain. However, paying no attention, Hikari turned her attention toward Miyako and Mimi. "Pay up girls!" she said gleefully. Sora looked at them shocked. "You guys bet on me?" 

"Err, well, sorry Sora, but we knew you'd have to admit it eventually" Miyako replied in her usual blunt fashion. "Hika here just guessed the right amount of time it'd take you" Sora looked at her friends incredulously before she burst out laughing. 

"Sora, hurry up! We're going to be late" Taichi called and he tugged at the uncomfortable tie. "Stupid noose" he muttered. 

"I'm coming" she called out from the bedroom. Taichi glanced at the clock. They had to be at the church in half an hour. "Why do women take so long?" he sighed. 

"Because you want us to look good, don't you?" a female voice answered. Taichi turned to look at Sora. Immediately, he stopped playing with his tie as he gaped at her. She looked amazing. She was wearing a long, champagne colored dress, with her hair up in some fancy design. Sora looked pleased at the reaction Taichi had. "Where did Miyako find those bridesmaid dresses?" 

"I designed them" Sora replied softly, a note of pride in her voice. Taichi flashed her a charming grin. "Wow. I didn't know former tomboys could come up with such beautiful designs" he replied teasingly. "Shall we leave, m'lady?" he asked as he offered her his arm. Sora, glowing with pride and happiness, nodded as she took his arm. "Let's"

The trip to the church took much less time then expected; however, they made it, only 10 minutes late. Jyou stood outside the door, apparently, waiting for them. "Took you two long enough" he complained. 

"Hi Jyou" they both replied smiling. He smiled. "The bridesmaids are all going downstairs. Taichi, you have to go to the main hall. It's just straight across. That's where all the guys are going" 

"Aren't you coming in Jyou?" Sora asked. "The church is too dusty. It's bothering my allergies" he replied. Taichi and Sora hid their smiles as they entered the church. "Same old Jyou" Taichi commented once they got in. Sora giggled. "It's good to know some people haven't changed" Taichi smiled her. He looked up as he heard a voice call his name. 

"Taichi!" A small, dinosaur-like digimon waved at him. Taichi smiled and waved at his orange friend. "This is where we separate. I'll see you after the ceremony okay?" Sora nodded and waved him on. Taichi turned and walked toward Agumon. Sora watched his retreating form, a smile playing on her face. As he walked into the hall, her eyes fell upon someone else in the main hall. Almost instantly, her smile faded. Him. She stared disbelievingly. There He stood, his hands in his pockets, his azure eyes watching her. They just stared at each other until a voice cut into her thoughts. "Sora! C'mon, Miya's been wondering where you were!" Mimi suddenly had appeared at the bottom of the stairs and called up to her. 

"Oh, uh, yea, I'm coming" She took one last glance at Taichi and watched as Taichi walked up to Him in greeting before she turned and rushed down the stairs. (A/N that wasn¡¯t a typo, it is Him, with a capital H¡¦guess who it could be? ^_^ hee hee)

"Hey" Taichi said simply. He really didn't know what to say to him. "How is she?" was his reply, his voice tinged with sorrow. He was still staring at where she had stood. "She's doing a lot better" Taichi answered quietly. He was still his best friend. Nothing should change that. "Thank you...for taking care of her" the young man replied, glancing once at his friend, giving him a ghost of smile. Taichi nodded. "You're welcome...Yamato"

nightflame: hmmm that chapter turned out a lot better than I thought it would.

taichi: Yamato's there???

nightflame: it's a wedding Taichi. And he's supposed to sing something, remember?

taichi: hmm. *stares at nightflame distrustfully*

nightflame: don't give me that look. Anyway people, review!


	5. revelations

fighting against fate: revelations

taichi: hey nightflame!!

nightflame: eh? What?

taichi: WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?? how much longer is this story?? When do Sora and I get together??

nightflame: be patient Taichi. I just got back from a month-long trip in Korea and I've been working a lot. I recently realized that I neglected "Destiny" for so long, that it collected dust from inside my hard drive. Anyway, this is probably what would be considered the climax of the story.

taichi: Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

nightflame: We'll see

taichi: *groans* 

nightflame: I own nothing but the plot. No digimon for me, and I don't own the song "Swear it again" by Westlife.

Chapter 5: revelations

The ceremony was over and the first pair of digidestined had been married. Laughing guests, both digimon and human, were partying at a hotel. It had been a beautiful ceremony; Ogermon was even caught tearing, though he insisted that something was in his eye. The digidestined from all over the world were running around, dancing, eating from the large buffet (they were feeding some bottomless pits...err digimon, after all) Sora smiled as she watched Miyako and Ken. Rarely had Sora seen the young man smile and laugh with such joy. It was a large, joyous party. There was a dance floor, a large buffet, a place to take pictures, and even a karaoke machine. She watched as Koushiro and Mina, the digidestined from India, dance to a rather fast number. She cheered for Daisuke as he attempted to break dance. She watched, laughingly, as Taichi took an attempt at the karaoke machine. However, his singing skills had not improved since their first experience in the digital world. Mimi rescued Taichi and sang in place of him, much to the relief of many digimon and human alike. (a/n that was for DDofCourage ^_^ hee hee) Being that it was a large party, she was able to avoid Yamato, without raising suspicion. A couple times, Taichi had dragged her away from the table to dance, as well as Takeru, and even Iori. For now, however, she was tired and was content to just sit at the table eating. She watched Taichi on the dance floor, swing dancing with Mimi. She felt a twinge of jealously as she watched the two, but she caught Mimi's eye, who gave her a wink. Sora smiled at her actions; there was no need to be jealous. She knew that Taichi and Mimi were close friends, but nothing more. Deciding she was still hungry, she got up and went to the buffet.

Taichi was on the dance floor, laughing as he danced his way through several songs. Finally, after swing dancing with Mimi, he declared that he was exhausted and needed a break. Mimi nodded and went off to find another dance partner. Smiling, Taichi sat down at the table that Sora had been at. Glancing around, he saw her at the buffet table. "Third time tonight" he mused. Glancing across the room, he saw Yamato, warming up his guitar. "Hmm" he thought quietly when his thoughts were interrupted. 

"Taichi! Look who I found!" Takeru was walking toward him, bringing a lovely blonde girl with him. Taichi smiled. "Catherine!" The French digidestined smiled and blushed slightly. "I'm surprised you remember me" 

"I never forget a friend" he replied with a charming smile. "How are you? How's France?" 

"France is fine" she answered. "Although I am thinking about moving to Japan" Taichi smiled at that thought. "That'd be fun. You could hang out with all of us here" 

"So how are you Taichi? What have you been up to since we last saw each other? I did not recognize you with short hair" 

Taichi laughed. "Yes, a lot of people have been telling me that. I cut it because I became interested in public relations and one has to look businesslike" he answered. Catherine looked at him coyly "Well, you look quite handsome. Just like last time" Suddenly a thought came to Tai. '_Is she hitting on me?_' 

"Well, if you need help in public relations with France, I'd be more than willing to help" she murmured as she pulled out a piece of paper. "This is the number of the hotel I am staying at. I'm in Japan for the next couple weeks. Call me anytime" She pressed the piece of paper into his hand, holding it a bit longer than necessary. Taichi opened his mouth to say something when Yamato's voice rang out across the room. "Hello everyone"

Sora had walked back from the buffet and saw Taichi and Catherine talking. Jealously flowed through her, and before she did anything rash, she quickly walked toward Miya and Ken, who were sitting down, apparently tired from all the dancing. Sitting down, Miyako leaned over to her. "Don't worry about her, Sora" Miyako whispered into her ear. "I have it on good authority that your feelings toward Taichi aren't one sided" Sora looked over at Miyako and smiled gratefully. Suddenly, a voice rang out. 

"Hello everyone" Sora glanced up to see Yamato on the stage. Digimon and human alike quieted down to hear him. He looked across the room and flashed his famous heart-melting smile. "I was asked by my good friends if I'd sing them something for their wedding. For the last week or two, I've been working on material. However, I just couldn't come up with anything. So, sorry Miyako, Ken, but I wasn't able to write you a song. However, I did find a song that seemed to fit. I hope you like it" Picking up his guitar, he motioned toward the rest of the band members. As soon as the piano struck the first chord, Sora stiffened. Softly, he started.

_I wanna know_

_Who ever told you I was letting go_

_The only joy that I have ever known_

_Girl they' re lying_

_Just look around_

_And all the people that we used to know_

_Have just given up they wanna let it go_

_But we're still trying_

_ _

_So you should know this love we share_

_Was never made to die_

_I'm glad we're on this one-way street_

_Just you and I_

_Just you and I_

Sora couldn't believe it. He was singing that song. Their song.

_I'm never gonna say good-bye_

_'Cause I never wanna see you cry_

_I swore to you my love would remain_

_and I'd swear it all over again and I_

_I'm never gonna treat you bad_

_'Cause I never wanna see you sad_

_I swore to share your joy and your pain_

_And I'd swear all over again_

_ _

_Someone people say_

_That everything has got its place and time,_

_Ever the day must give way to the night_

_But I'm not buying_

_Cause in your eyes_

_I see a love that burns eternally_

And if you see how beautiful you are to me 

_You know I'm not lying_

Taichi looked over at Sora. She had a shell-shocked expression on her face. '_What's going on?_' he thought confused.

_Sure they'll be times we wanna say goodbye_

_But even if we tried_

_There are some things in this life _

_Won't be denied_

_Won't be denied_

Sora sat there completely shocked. Staring onto the stage, her eyes made contact with Yamato. He stared into her eyes as he continued to sing.

_I'm never gonna say good-bye_

_'Cause I never wanna see you cry_

_I swore to you my love would remain_

_And I'd swear it all over again and I_

_I'm never gonna treat you bad_

_'Cause I never wanna see you sad_

_I swore to share your joy and your pain_

_And I'd swear all over again_

_ _

_The more I know of you_

_Is the more I know I love you_

The more that I'm sure I want you forever and ever more 

_And the more that you love me_

_The more that I know_

_Oh that I'm never gonna let you go_

_Gotta let you know that I _

_I'm never gonna say good-bye_

_'Cause I never wanna see you cry_

_I swore to you my love would remain_

_and I'd swear it all over again and I_

_I'm never gonna treat you bad_

_'Cause I never wanna see you sad_

_I swore to share you joy and your pain_

_And I'd swear all over again_

_ _

_All over again_

_All over again_

_I swear it all over again…_

As the last of the chords faded, the room broke out into cheers. Sora, however, remained silent. '_He wants to try again_' she thought amazed. '_But...but I can't. I've fallen in love...with Taichi. How can I tell him that?_' As she sat there, her ears picked out a noise. Something was ringing. She reached for her handbag. Pulling out her cell phone she answered it. "Hello? ... Hello? Hold on a second please" She got up and made her way out of the reception hall, oblivious to the two pairs of eyes watching her. Out in the lounge, she continued her call. "Hello? ... Oh hello! … Yes, I'm at the wedding I told you about ... well, no, I haven't ... why do you ask? ... WHAT? Are you sure? ... I see ... mm hmm ... oh yes, uhm, thank you ... mm hmm … goodbye" she hung up the phone shakily. A million thoughts ran through her head. How could it be? Why did she feel like crying? Shouldn't she be happy? "Sora?" Sora closed her eyes. '_Please…when I turn around…let it be him_' When she turned around, her heart dropped. "Yam...Yamato?" 

Instead, there He stood, his azure eyes watching her. "I noticed you walked out" 

"Uh, well, I had to answer a phone call" 

Yamato looked at her, sorrowfully. "Sora. I'm sorry. I want to try again. I'm sorry for not trusting you. So, I just want to know. Will you forgive me?" Sora stared at him. She could tell from the expression in his eyes that he was genuine. She opened her mouth to say something when an image entered her head. A picture of the perfect family, one she had always wanted. She closed her eyes as she nodded slowly. She felt his arms hold her and pull her close. Slowly, she reciprocated the hug. She opened her eyes and looked up at him as he gently leaned down and kissed her. She closed her eyes, shutting out the tears. Neither Sora nor Yamato noticed the pair of pained brown eyes watching the two. 

Taichi walked back in the reception, pain evident in his face. Hikari, seeing her brother like that, quickly pulled away from Takeru and rushed over to him. "Oniichan? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Silently, he brushed her off and headed toward Miyako and Ken, who were still sitting down, reminiscing with Iori, Jyou, Daisuke, and Mimi. Not noticing that he was interrupting, he apologized. "I'm really sorry Miyako, Ken, but I have to go" The occupants of the table looked at him confused. They could tell something was wrong.

"But, but…Taichi, why?" Miyako stuttered. In response, he looked in the direction of the door just as Sora and Yamato walked in, hand in hand. The others at the table looked toward the door as well. Turning back, he answered. "I just have to. I'm sorry" he gave Miyako a kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations" he whispered to her and patted Ken on the back. Swiftly, Taichi walked out the door, ignoring both Sora and his broken heart.

Sora watched as Taichi left, feeling helpless to stop him, despite everything her heart told her. '_I'm sorry Taichi. But I had to. I can't leave him, not now_' She blinked quickly, to stop the tears. She looked over toward the table to see the shocked expressions of Mimi and Miyako, and the outraged eyes of Hikari. The males of the table, except Takeru, stared at the two, stuck between two emotions. Confusion at Taichi's sudden departure and relief that Yamato and Sora had seemed to made up. The couple made their way toward the table. Excusing herself from Yamato, she walked over to the girls. "Uh, girls? Can we talk?"

"Yes, I think we should" Hikari replied in a controlled tone, barely concealing her anger. Mimi and Miyako excused themselves from the table and the four girls headed off to the most private place they could think of: the bathroom. Once, safely in the bathroom, Mimi checked to see if anyone else was there. She came back motioning that they were alone. Miyako locked the bathroom door. "Spill it Sora" Miyako demanded. Hikari simply sat on the couch (A/N yes, a couch, in hotel bathrooms, at least in the women's, there's a separate room with mirrors and places to sit...make-up, ya know? ^_^ ) with her arms crossed. Mimi looked at the older girl confused. "Sora...why? You said you loved Taichi. And now, you're back together with Yamato?!?" 

Sora looked away, tears threatening to fall. "I can't leave him" she answered in a pained whisper. 

"Can't?" Miyako replied in a shocked tone. "Sora, why are you lying to yourself like this?"

Sora closed her eyes. "I…" she faltered. "I have to stay with him"

"WHY?" Hikari exploded. "Why do you have to break my brother's heart like that? AGAIN?" She stood up seething. "What reason do you have to hurt him again? You said you loved him!"

"I do love him. But I…I can't be with him" she whispered. She looked at each of the girls, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Why?" Hikari's tone was cold, but she hit the entire point of the conversation. 

Sora looked at the angry girl, understanding full well. Hikari looked up and cared for her older brother deeply, as much as Sora did. She had hurt Taichi, badly. That thought broke her. This time, the tears did fall, in a relentless stream. "Because..." she whispered. "I'm pregnant"

nightflame: WOOO, what a plot twist! Good, no? What do you think taichi? *no answer* taichi? *looks over at taichi*

taichi: *frozen in shock, completely motionless*

nightflame: hmm...I think that plot twist got him. Did any of you see it coming? I tried to put in some hints. You did? You smart people!! ^_^ I think this is probably one of the better chapters. *proud of herself* uhhh, I think I'll go have taichi lie down now...fear not people, remember, as the summary says, "I'm not anti-sorato, I'm just pro-taiora!" okay, people review! The more reviews, the faster the chapters come. (Yes, it's blackmail, but hey, it's a standard fanfic-writer practice) Ja!


	6. moving on

moving on

nightflame: *surrounded by empty buckets, used smelling salts, and a megaphone* hmmm. It's been a while now and Taichi still hasn't woken up. Nothing seems to work. *getting worried* what should I do?!? *inspiration* I know! *whispers into Taichi's ear* Is that Sora in a two-piece I see over there?  
taichi: *waking up suddenly* What? Where? *looks around*  
nightflame: hmph. Typical guy.  
taichi: *catches sight of nightflame* YOU!!! ARGH!! *jumps up and starts throttling nightflame* HOW DARE YOU?!? SHE'S WITH YAMATO!!! *throttle*throttle*  
nightflame: *turning purple* ack...ice...fall...*a gigantic silver/blue dragon suddenly appears and eyes taichi warily, who lets go of nightflame's neck* ekkk...*wheezes*...geez taichi...*wheeze* I think you just did what many taiora fans have wanted to do to me since I posted chapter 5. *wheeze* I even have logan taking shots...*wheeze* you have no faith in me, do you taichi? Remember, this is a TAIORA with a sprinkling of takari and SORATO.   
taichi: *glares at nightflame, fingers twitching at the sound of the 'S' word* (new take on it...hee hee)  
nightflame: *takes cover on icefall's back* calm down taichi. Just have some faith in me.   
taichi: hmph.  
nightflame: *still hiding on icefall's back* standard disclaimers apply  
  
  
Chapter 6: moving on  
  
  
"Taichi?"   
A young, pink-haired individual poked her head into the apartment. "You here?" Slowly, the young lady made her way through the messy apartment. There was no noise. She headed toward the extra bedroom. She opened to the door and her eyes widen in shock. On top of the bed, sat a couple suitcases. Walking over, she opened one. Everything was neatly packed, toothbrush, brushes, hair dryer, everything. "Everything's in there" a voice called out.  
"GAHHH!!" Mimi Tachikawa cried out, jumping up about a foot in the air. She turned around to see Taichi standing there, a wry grin on his face.   
"That's the funniest thing I've seen the past couple days" he said quietly, his smile now fading, as memories from the wedding assaulted him. Abruptly, he turned and headed out. Mimi stood there, shocked for a minute before it dawned on her. This was Sora's room. She doubted that he had been in here aside to pack Sora's bags for her, since the wedding three days ago. Quickly, she went after Taichi. She found him in the living room, by his laptop, flipping a folded piece of paper between his fingers. "Taichi?"  
  
Taichi turned his head slightly, to acknowledge that he heard her. They stood like that in silence before Mimi spoke up. "Are you...okay?" Looking at him more closely, she noticed signs of strain on his face. His eyes were slightly red-rimmed, indicating to her that he had been crying, or had cried recently. He gave her a ghost of a smile."I'm okay Mimi...really" he assured her. Mimi shook her head.   
"No, you're not" she said bluntly. "I can tell that you were crying. You looked horrible!! I can tell you're strained, and..."  
"Mimi, calm down" he smiled wryly. "No wonder you're the Guardian of Sincerity. It's okay. I've...I've let her go" he said the last part softly.   
Mimi stared at him. "Why?"  
"What do you mean why?" he responded, incredulous.  
"Why? You love her. You two are meant to be together. It's fate. If you don't do anything, you'll lose her!"  
"She was never mine Meems" was the soft reply. "You can't lose something if it was never belonged to you" He looked her deeply in the eyes. "Besides, she deserves her perfect family. She cares for Yamato, and I know he loves her"  
Mimi stared at him suspiciously. Sora hadn't told anyone except Miyako, Hikari and her about the pregnancy. "What do you mean, her perfect family?"  
"I know Mimi"  
"Know what? I don't know what you're talking about"  
"The doctor called" he looked away. "He was calling for Ms. Takenouchi to schedule another appointment to talk about her pregnancy" he continued to flip the piece of paper in his hand. Mimi felt her heart go out to Taichi. What a horrible way to discover the love of your life was pregnant with someone else's baby. "Taichi..." she faltered. What do you say during a situation like this?  
"It's okay Meems" he stated softly. "I've let her go" he looked up at her. "I just want her to be happy"   
"At the expense of your heart" Mimi looked at him sadly. "She'd be happier with you"  
At this Taichi looked away. "It's just...I was there when she needed help. That's all. She's found her love and it's in him"   
Mimi looked at him sharply. "Are you trying to tell me that you're not in love with her?" He simply closed his eyes. "Well, I never...maybe you're right. After all, Yamato makes her laugh, makes her smile, he's given her what she's always wanted, hasn't he?" Mimi was clearly frustrated. "Everything you didn''t"  
Taichi looked away, but Mimi caught the sight of a tear running down his face. "It hurts you, doesn't it Taichi?"  
"Why should it?" his voice was heavy.   
"Because..." Mimi replied, her voice far more gentle. "in your heart, you know the truth, and you can't deny what you feel for her"  
Taichi turned and looked at her, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. He looked at her. "I love her. With all my heart, and all my soul. Is that what you wanted to hear Mimi?" he responded angrily. "I want to be there for her every second of the day, just to hold her, just to be in her presence. I want to wipe away every tear with a kiss. I would give my life to hear her laugh, to see her smile, to have her look at me with her beautiful red eyes and tell me...tell me that she loves me too" At this, he fell to his knees, sobbing. Mimi kneeled down next to him. "Oh Taichi" Gently, she cradled him in her arms and he cried.  
"Why? Why Mimi? God, it's not natural for someone to love anyone this much. Why can' it be? Why can't she love me?" Mimi had no words. She simply hugged him.   
Slowly, the tears ceased to fall, and Taichi looked up at her. "You should go after her" Mimi replied softly. Taichi shook his head. "I have to let her go, Meems. All her life, she's wanted to have a, quote, unquote, normal family. Now...now he's given her a chance to have that. I want her to be happy, even if it is without me"  
At this, Mimi hugged Taichi tightly. "You're the most courageous person I know, Taichi" He gave a hollow laugh. "You are" she whispered fiercely. "Courage is more than just acting upon your feelings. It's doing what is right, no matter what" She kissed him on the cheek. "I admire you" she stated softly. Giving him one last hug, she stood up and put a small key on the living room table. "I was asked to give that back to you" Taichi looked at it. It was a spare key to the apartment, one he had given Sora when she had moved in him. It had only been a week ago, but it felt like an eternity. Mimi quietly left the apartment, taking with her the suitcases filled with Sora's stuff.   
"Doing what is right, no matter what eh?" he repeated softly, letting the words hang in the air. Slowly, deliberately ignoring the key still sitting on the table, he reached for his laptop. He glanced at his paper, the one he had worked so hard on the last couple weeks. He looked at the last question his professor left him. Why should we trust the 'digital monsters'? They have hurt us before, so why should we open ourselves up for a third chance? Taichi looked at the question blankly, words slowly filling in his head. Haltingly, he began to type.   
If we do not continue on, we deny ourselves of what could be. In the end, we will look back with regrets because we did not have to courage to go forward. We must let go of our fears, our past experiences, and look toward a brighter future. Letting go is hard, but we must, for it is the right thing to do. We must use our courage to continue on, to love and accept those whom we once feared, and build a world filled with light and hope. By moving forward, we free ourselves from a world of regret and into a brighter future   
Taichi re-read what he wrote. He closed his eyes once more before he hit the print button. He glanced over to folded piece of paper that he had been flipping earlier. It had fallen, discarded, onto the table, during his heart-to-heart with Mimi. Slowly, he reached over and picked it up. He hesitated for the briefest second before he walked over to the phone and punched in some numbers. He waited until he heard a voice on the other end. "Hello, Catherine? It's me, Taichi"  
  
  
  
nightflame: thus ends...the sixth chapter. Hmmm, well, just to explain a bit, I'm fixing the season finale of 02. There, questions and things shall be explained.   
taichi: *still seething at nightflame*  
nightflame: and uhm...apparently taichi is still mad at me. *sweatdrop* so I'll be think I might be staying here on icefall's back for a while. Review people! Give me something to do! I know some of you are in shock because of the sor…err, you know…but really, it helps me a lot when you guys review…unless none of you want me to continue and I'll just take the fic down…erm, yea. Review…please????  
  



	7. looking back & moving on

looking back & going forward

nightflame: *thinking* hmm I hadn't expected this story to be this long, but I keep thinking up ideas for this story. I think I'm watching too many korean dramas. So many ideas inspired by them. But that's a good thing, right taichi? *looks down*

taichi: *on the ground* I'm not sure. Why don't you come down here and I'll tell you what I think?

nightflame: erm, no. you still want to kill me don't you? Taichi, don't worry!! THIS IS NOT A SORATO! 

taichi: *grumbling* it better not be…

nightflame: I'm quite proud of this story thus far, it seems to be quite unique thus far, no? or do I need to read more fanfiction?

taichi: *silent*

nightflame: uhm, okay. Anyway, on with the 7th chapter! There are a LOT of flashbacks in this one. And let's see…*checks phone messages* nope, no calls from toei offering to give me the rights to digimon. Dang. Oh yea, this chapter starts off after episode 50, meaning a long time after the wedding and aftermath…and another thing…I don't own "Don't Wanna Cry" by Mariah Carey.

(~*~) denotes flashback

Chapter 7: looking back & going forward

"Rika!! Do your homework!! Turn off that music!" a baritone voice rang out. The only response was the radio being turned on even louder. Sora rolled her eyes as she mechanically slid her hands into the soapy water. Another one had come and gone. Had it really been 25 years since the final showdown? It was good to see everyone.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Aww why not?" 

Sora glanced over to see her son complaining to his father. Rika tugged at her sleeve. "I'll take care of him" Sora smiled as Biyomon repeated the same promise. Sora looked around at the others gathered around the small grove. She froze as she watched one individual with his child.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sora shook her head. '_Get over it. That chapter of your life is over. Stop thinking about it_' Sora sighed. She had settled into married life with Yamato. After the wedding, she had told Yamato about her situation. Yamato had proposed to her a couple weeks later. She had accepted. They had a small quiet ceremony, with just close family, friends, and digimon. That was now almost 10 years ago. Sora sighed. A couple months after their wedding, Rika had been born. Four years, after that, she had another child, a baby boy that she named Li. Now, he was 6. Sora shook her head, marveling at how fast time had gone by. Everyone had changed so much. Strangely enough, all of them now had children of their own. Sora's eyes softened as she thought of one child. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

A young boy, around 4 or 5 years of age, looked up with pleading eyes. Sora grinned. He had inherited his father's eyes and grin, but had his mother's nose. Other than that, he was an exact duplicate of his father at that age. The small boy looked at her silently, then gave her an adorable grin before snatching a couple apple slices and running off to his father. Sora laughed slightly, and watched his retreating form as he ran up and offered Taichi a slice of his treasure.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sora let her thoughts wander idly as she set the coffee machine. A year after she and Yamato had married, Taichi had proposed to Catherine. Sora remembered the day she heard about it; it was hard working that day. In the end, she ignored the hollow feeling within her chest and had even called to congratulate them. After all, she was over Taichi, and she was glad that he was continuing with his life as well. Continuing on with life…that reminded her of Hikari and Takeru. It had come as a shock to all the digidestined when the two had broken up. Hikari had gone abroad to the U.S.A. for her senior year of college. She and Takeru had planned to wed after they graduated. When she came back, they were all at the airport, expecting souvenirs from her trip. Instead, she brought a month-old baby. Takeru had been heartbroken and angry, breaking off their relationship. After a while, he ended up marrying another girl that he had met in college. Sora had tried to talk to her little brother, but to no avail. She still remembered that conversation.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Sora, why are you being so difficult?" 

"Because Takeru!! You don't love her!!" Sora cried out, exasperated. "I can tell that you still love Hikari. I know you're hurt and there seems to be too many obstacles in the way, but you have to listen to your heart!"

"You're one to talk" he spat back at her. "Who are you to tell me to listen to my heart when you can't even do the same?" the normally calm Takeru glared at her, livid. "If you had, we wouldn't be related!"

Sora froze, shocked. An image of a young man flew into her head. Quickly, she shook her head as if to shake the image out. "Ta…Takeru, I…I…" 

"Look Sora" he interrupted her. "I'm sorry. That was a low blow. Hika…she doesn't…she showed me what she thought of our relationship when she came back" Sora opened her mouth to protest but Takeru cut her off. "I'm getting married next weekend, Sora. And I'd really like it if you could just support me" 

Sora stared at Takeru for a second before she gave him a gentle hug. "I'm sorry too little brother. I'll try to be supportive"

~*~*~*~*~*~

In the end, Sora had been right. Takeru and his wife had one child before they divorced. The divorce had been quick, and Takeru and Hikari had started to slowly rebuild what they had lost. They were once again, the lovebirds of the group; only this time, no "goggle-boy" to interrupt them. Sora smiled as she thought of Daisuke. He had opened that noodle cart of his, but even now, 25 years later, he was as childish as ever and still able to make her smile.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Sora, when do we eat?" Daisuke walked up to her. Sora smiled and teasingly replied, "I don't know, where are the noodles you were supposed to bring?"

"What? Uhhh, uhmm, errr" Daisuke stuttered, confused. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Sora, who was trying to hold back her laughter. "I wasn't supposed to bring any noodles, was I?" Sora simply giggled. Daisuke's face broke out into a smile. "Don't scare me like that! So how are you and Yamato doing? How's the fashion business?"

"The fashion business is difficult, but I think my new line will turn out really well" she answered, avoiding the other question. "The newest Takenouchi line will be to die for" She smiled, then confessed. "I had Mimi help me a bit too. She still hasn't lost her fashion sense" Daisuke laughed.

"I can't wait. Being your friend, I do get some free clothes, right" he nudged her playfully. 

"In your dreams" she retorted. Daisuke gave her a mock hurt look. "Well, maybe I'll get you a pair of socks" she winked. 

"I can't wait" was his reply. "Hey I have a question. How come your line is the Takenouchi line, and not Ishida? My son brought that up and I had to say that I didn't know"

"Uhh well, you know. I started designing before we got married" she busied herself by arranging the plates of food. "And I didn't want to change the name after my first line came out" 

"I see" he appeared to be thinking. "How are you and Yamato anyway? Do you and Taichi still talk?" 

"We're…fine. We're doing alright" she avoided his eyes as she finished arranging the food. Ignoring the last question, she turned and gave him a fake smile. "Alright, all done, why don't you get to others and tell them it's time to eat? Mimi cooked most of the food, so it's really good"

"Yes!! Food!" he cried, punching the air like he was 10 years old again. Sora smiled. "HEY GUYS!" he yelled. "FOOD'S ON!" As the adults made their way to the table, all the children continued playing tag. " KIDS!" Daisuke yelled. "FOOD!" the kids continued to play. "AUNT MIMI COOKED IT!" he finally screamed. The adults laughingly stood out of the way, some teasing Mimi as the pack of kids went flying toward the table.

~*~*~*~

Sora smiled fondly as she reminisced about old times. Daisuke had been through a lot; it had been hard on him to accept Hikari and Takeru for a second time. He had been angry with Takeru for hurting Hikari after the incident, but the two had exchanged both words and blows before they came to an understanding. The two were now so close. Their relationship reminded her of Yamato and Taichi's. She shook her head. Everything. Even after 10 years, everything came back to Taichi. 

~*~*~*~

Sora laughed along with the other adults as they exchanged memories, but secretly, she watched Taichi. He had changed so much. He had finished college and became the first ambassador to the digital world, along with Agumon. Sora's heart swelled with pride whenever she saw him on TV giving interviews. He had matured greatly, thanks to the many hardships he dealt with in his life. After he and Catherine had the first child, he had his first hardship as ambassador to the digital world. A bunch of renegade digimon had started a small war with the inhabitants of a town in New York. It seemed like peace between both worlds would not be possible, but Taichi stepped in and had smoothed it over. The digidestined had planned to throw a party in honor of his first victory, however, it was marred with tragedy. Just weeks before the party, Catherine died unexpectedly. She had been hit by a drunk driver, who didn't see her as she crossed the street. Taichi had been heartbroken, yet had shown his courage once again, but staying strong for his son, who was only 9 months old at the time. 

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Unbeknown to her, Sora's heartbeat rose slightly every time she thought of Taichi. She sat at the table, sipping her coffee. Abruptly, she was jerked out of her thoughts as she heard Yamato's voice call out, once more. "RIKA! TURN OFF THAT RADIO! YOU CAN'T STUDY AND LISTEN TO THE RADIO AT THE SAME TIME!" Sora sighed as she heard her daughter scream out her reply. "YES I CAN!!" Yamato came down the stairs, shaking his blonde hair in disgust. "Talk to your daughter" Sora raised an eyebrow. "She won't listen to me" As if to back him up, Sora heard the radio turned on even louder, just loud enough for her to hear the lyrics of the song. "See?" he said exasperated. 

"I doubt she'd listen to me anymore than you" was her quiet response. Yamato didn't answer. Instead, he simply went and poured himself a cup of coffee and collapsed into the chair across from her. The two simply sat there. Filling the silence was the lyrics of the song. Sora listened quietly.

_Once again we sit in silence _

_After all is said and done _

_Only emptiness inside us _

_Baby, look what we've become _

_We can make a million promises _

_But we still won't change _

_It isn't right to stay together _

_When you only bring each other pain _

_ _

_I don't wanna cry _

_Don't wanna cry _

_Nothing in the world _

_Could take us back _

_To where we used to be _

_Though I've given you my heart and soul _

_I must find a way of letting go _

_'Cause baby, I don't wanna cry _

Sora listened quietly to the lyrics of the song. It was so ironic; it seemed to match the two of them exactly. She looked over at Yamato, who also seemed to be listening and thinking to the lyrics as well.

_Too far apart to bridge the distance _

_But something keeps us hanging on and on_

_Pretending not to know the difference _

_Denying what we had is gone _

_Every moment we're together _

_It's just breaking me down _

_I know we swore it was forever _

_But it hurts too much to stay around _

Yamato looked up at Sora. In the background, he could hear the chorus being sung. He had to say something. "Sora…"

_All the magic's gone _

_There's just a shadow of a memory _

_Something just went wrong _

_We can't go on make-believing _

_on make-believing…_

Sora looked up at him as he called her name. In her mind, two lines kept repeating over and over. '_Though I've given you my heart and soul, I must find a way of letting go_' She watched Yamato's mouth as the words came tumbling out. "Sora…I think we should…" he paused. Silently, she lifted her eyes to his. "We have to stop fooling ourselves" 

Sora looked at him expressionless. Should she agree? Deny it? Instead she sat there, waiting for Yamato to continue. 

"You don't love me Sora. And I…I fell out of love when I realized that you could never love me" Sora blinked. "Yamato…what are you saying?" The words came out instinctively. "Of course I love you…I always have" 

Yamato shook his head. "I'm sorry Sora. I haven't been much of a friend. If I had, maybe I would have realized what we were doing wouldn't work…that it wasn't right. You don't love me Sora. And I've just been taking you away from who you really do love" Sora stared at him. A million thoughts ran through her head, all with one single common thread - Taichi. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing would come out.Instead, Yamato just continued on. "We have to stop denying it Sora. What we had when we were teenagers…it's gone. Sora, we got married for the wrong reasons"

_I don't wanna cry _

_Don't wanna cry _

_Nothing in the world _

_Could take us back _

_To where we used to be _

_Though I've given you my heart and soul _

_Said I've given you my heart and soul_

_I must find a way of letting go _

_'Cause baby, I don't wanna cry_

Sora blinked. She could feel tears at the corners of her eyes. She had failed. What kind of Guardian of Love was she? She noticed Yamato just sitting there, tightly holding onto his cup of coffee, staring at the table. She had to say something. "Yamato" He looked up. "I will always love you, but…not in the way a wife should love a husband. Yamato…I'm…I'm so sorry" She closed her eyes and felt as two teardrops fell onto her hand.

"Don't be sorry Sora. It's…it's okay. It's the same for both of us. I will always love you too, but not in the way that a husband should love his wife" Yamato stood up and walked over to Sora. He hugged her lightly. "Go to him Sora. He's still waiting, although he may not realized it himself. Tell him I'm sorry for being such a lousy best friend for the last 10 years" He gave her a light peck on the cheek. "Goodbye Sora" With that, he straightened up and walked out of the room. Sora stared silently at the wall as the last strains of the song could be heard over the sound of the front door shutting.

_I don't wanna cry…_

_I don't wanna…cry…_

nightflame: hmm…the successful breakup of their marriage. Happy Taichi?

taichi: now what?

nightflame: *now back on the ground* now, I have to decide whether to let our favorite couple just join together or throw more roadblocks. 

taichi: what???

nightflame: hey I'm trying to make this story realistic. Or…semi-realistic…well, close enough to reality as I can get. And people don't always just get right together. But then again, I have put you and Sora through a lot. Ya know, if people review, I write better…^_^ *hint*hint* anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! It might be a while before I update again; I have to move all my stuff to my college dorm in New York. So let's make a deal. You review, and I write. Okay? Great!


	8. sometimes your greatest adversary is onl...

sometimes your greatest adversary

nightflame: *coughing and sneezing* augh!! How could I let this story gather dust?!?!? What's wrong with me???

taichi: *buried under a pile of papers* help…me…

nightflame: AHH!! Taichi!!! My muse disappeared!! *starts digging under piles of homework* yea…too much work in college…*finally finds taichi* AHHH!! You okay???

taichi: *breathing in heavily* precious, precious air…

nightflame: err sorry taichi. Yea, this story has been stuck under all this college stuff going on in my life…and I'm here in NY and all this crazy stuff has been going on. 

taichi: *still trying to gather air into his squashed lungs* how about…you just write…*pant* and I get my breath back?

nightflame: okay. Nothing has changed since last time, I still don't own digimon, but once my friend takes over the world, she said I can get Japan…so then I will own digimon…muahaha! But until then, I'm not making any money off this (otherwise, I wouldn't be a broke college student) so this is only for your reading enjoyment…so…uhm…enjoy! I decided to write other people's point of views this time. ^_^

(~~~~) denotes scene change

Chapter 8: sometimes your greatest adversary is only yourself

Taichi sized up his opponent. 

Tall, sturdy, unyielding. They were around the same height, his opponent slightly taller. Taichi glared. He could do this. His opponent remained stolid, unflinching. Taichi smirked slightly. He could face gigantic demons, vampires, and freaky clown digimon, yet they didn't faze him as much as his current adversary. "C'mon Taichi, where's that famous courage of yours?" he muttered to himself. He scowled. He was losing this battle. He stared at his rival. "Back down" he growled frustrated. Instead, he watched as his enemy stood there, unyielding, mocking him, with the all-knowing attitude that the battle was over before it began. Taichi had lost. Taichi hung his head down in shame. He couldn't do it. He may have held the crest of courage, but this was one battle he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to win. Silently he turned around and headed back to his car. As he got back into his car, he took one last glance at his foe. The brown wooden door stood there, imposingly, the last obstacle between him and his heart. 

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Mimi Tachikawa sighed frustrated. This was getting nowhere. A pile of papers and stacks of photographs covered her desk. "I should just give up" she muttered angrily. "No one ever told me that it was so hard to write a stupid cookbook" Unbeknownst to the rest of the digidestined, Mimi was in the process of compiling her award winning recipes into a single handy cookbook. However, she soon discovered that writing a cookbook was much harder than it seemed. "I thought I was just going to put in recipes and a couple photos" she muttered. This was all her stupid publicist's fault. He was the only reason she started this ridiculous project. Before her temper got out of hand, the muffled sound of an interlude rang out.

"Eh?" Then she realized where the sound was coming from. Her cell phone was ringing. "GAH!" Mimi shrieked, and raced around searching for her phone. She finally found it underneath a pile of papers. She glanced at the caller ID before flipping the phone open. "Moshi moshi"

A quiet voice rang out from the other end. "Hey Meems" 

Mimi sighed. "Hey Taichi. Did you get past the mailbox this time?"

There was silence on Taichi's end. "Yes Mimi" he finally responded. 

"And?"

"I couldn't do it Mimi. I had a war with the door and the door won" was the dry response.

"What?? Taichi, believe it or not, you're stronger than a door. It gives way when someone knocks on it" Mimi sighed frustrated. "Besides. It's not the door that's stopping you" 

"It's too soon Meems. I can't go through with it"  
  


"What do you mean too soon?? Yamato and Sora have been separated for 3 months now!"

"She might not be ready for this…I mean, and what about Catherine?" 

Mimi stared at the phone, incredulous. "Taichi Kamiya! You have got to be kidding me!" she took a breath to calm herself down. "Catherine died 5 years ago Taichi. You have to let her go. You know she would want you to go on with your life. You can't use her to hide behind. You have to acknowledge your feelings or you're going to regret it for the rest of your life" she admonished Taichi gently. "Where's your famed courage of yours?" 

"That's the problem. I don't have any" 

Mimi sighed. Taichi could be so frustrating. "You stubborn, thick-headed, big haired…"

"I cut my hair Meems, remember?"

"It's a force of habit Tai" she answered wryly. "Maybe you should grow your hair out again. You never had problems expressing yourself until you cut your hair"

"Ha ha. It's not funny Mimi. I just can't do it. How can I? Besides, she'd probably just look at me like I had grown another head"

"While your hair would be rather large, I doubt it'd be considered to be another head"

"Mimi…I'm not talking about my hair" 

"I know. I'm just trying to lighten the mood here" was the frustrated reply. She did know what he was talking about. Everything to Taichi ended up back to Sora. Mimi sat there silently. She really didn't know what to say. She had already told him, countless amounts of times to go and listen to his heart; to go back to Sora. And everytime, he told her that he would, yet each time, he'd call her telling how he couldn't make it past the doorstep.

"Maybe I should give up Meems. This is impossible. I should move on with my life"

Mimi bit her lip to keep herself from screaming in anger. Checking herself, she responded in a calm tone. "Then you'd still have to see Sora"

"Huh? Why?" she could almost see the confused expression on his face.

"Because," Mimi continued quietly, "you'd have to ask her to let go of your heart if you want to move on"

"Meems…I…" Taichi faltered. He took a breath before continuing. "What if she doesn't love me? What if she just slams the door in my face?" 

"You'll never know until you knock, now will you?"

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Sora stared out her window. It had been 3 months since Yamato had left her. Or had she left him? Three months, and she still wasn't sure if she had figured out her feelings or not. She had moved out of the small home into an apartment that overlooked the park. Her two kids were off playing at Miyako and Ken's home. She was surprised at how well they had handled their parents' divorce. Rika had understood what was going on and had chosen not to comment on it at the time. Later, she admitted to her parents that she liked them better now that they were separated; at least now they talked like normal parents. It had unnerved her to see the two of them always sitting there in complete silence. 

Sora smiled softly at her reflection. As ironic as it was, she and Yamato had become better friends since their divorce. But at the same time that confused her. She cared for Yamato…yet when they had been married, she had felt nothing. Her youngest, Li, still didn't understand too much what had happened. All he seemed to understand was that one day, everything was normal, but the next day, his dad no longer lived with them. Sora had done her best to explain to him what was happening, but she had a feeling that although he didn't understand why his mom and dad were no longer together, he seemed to understand that it was better that way. "I have some odd children" Sora murmured to herself, a half-smile on her face. A high-pitched ringing disrupted her thoughts. Sora walked over the phone and picked it up. "Moshi moshi" She waited to hear the person on the other end. "Takeru?"

nightflame: aight that's enough for now.

taichi: WHAT???????? That's so short!!! And you had me lose…to a DOOR!!!

nightflame: erm…yea…I know it's short, but I felt that it's been just way too long since I posted anything, so I had to restart myself. Besides, I finally figured it out.

taichi: figured what out?

nightflame: exactly how I'm going to end this fic

taichi: really?

nightflame: yup. And now that I know what I'm going to do with this fic, I can finally work on my other works in progress.

taichi: you have MORE?? FINISH THIS ONE FIRST!!

nightflame: I will, I promise!!! I only have 1 or 2 more chapters of this one. Then I can finally finish my takari angsty romance. Besides, I have time now that I've taken that crazy midterm. Hey did you notice that the names I chose for Sora's kids are the same as 2 of the kids in 03?

taichi: stop trying to avoid the subject. if you don't finish soon, I'm going to gather all the reviewers into a big mob and…

nightflame: *sweatdrop* I'll finish soon, I promise. I hope you guys liked this chapter…please review!


	9. second chances

**taichi:** NIGHTFLAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *barges into room in mad rampage* NIGHTFLAME!!!!

**nightflame:** *hunched over desk* eh? nani? Taichi-san? 

**taichi:** why aren't you writing?!?!? What are you doing??

**nightflame:** sumimasen! Mai nichi benkyoo o shimashita!!! 

**taichi:** yea but that's no excu…wait a second…why are you speaking in japanese?

**nightflame:** nihongo? *stops and realizes she has been speaking in japanese* oops…*^^* sorry taichi! It's just that I have my japanese final tomorrow. I've been studying non-stop. But here *hands taichi something* it's what you've been waiting for…

**taichi:** you mean…? *eyes widen expectantly*

**nightflame:** that's right…it's the FINAL CHAPTER!!

**taichi:** YES!! YES YES YES!!! *starts dancing around* how I've waited for this day!!

**nightflame:** yea, but before I start, I have a few things to say.

**taichi:** *facefaults* can't we just go on with it?

**nightflame:** no, I have to say thank you to everyone who reviewed!! *sob*sob* you people don't realize how happy you guys made me by reviewing!!! *starts sobbing in joy* maybe I'm just really pathetic, but sometimes I'd just go on to ff.net just to read the reviews you guys sent in…made me feel all warm n fuzzy inside…*^^*and it was such an awesome inspiration!! I'm sorry it took so long for me to write this story, but I hope you guys are happy with the end product…

**taichi:** does it end with me and sora together?

**nightflame:** I can't tell you that!! 

**taichi:** why not?

**nightflame:** cuz then why would you want to read it? anyway, you know the drill, I don't own digimon or anything else cuz I'm just a broke college student with a final tomorrow actually, it doesn't have anything to do with that, it's just a plea for pity *^^* hee hee anyway, without further ado, here it is, the 9th and final (or is it?) chapter of "fighting against fate"!  *mini groucho marx appears* no substitutions, extensions or refunds…

**taichi:** hey nightflame, what's with that "or is it" business? nightflame?? nightflame??*glares at her as she stares innocently at the wall* 

( ) denotes someone else's voice

(~~~~) denotes scene change

(-------) flashback

chapter 9: second chances

_…getting married…_

The simple phrase repeated in her head, mocking her. Sora blinked once, focusing her eyes. She had been walking around downtown Odiba without paying any attention to where she was going. She glanced into the store on her left. 

It was funny actually. 

The whole world seemed to be against her finding happiness. Sora found herself staring into a bakery, a wedding cake in the front window. A wedding cake. A sign of union, of the joys of being together, of love. She scoffed slightly. 

Turning her head away she caught sight of two lovers, snuggled together on a bench. Sora tightened her jacket around herself, unconsciously trying to warm herself. Why was it that everyone found could find happiness while she stood there in misery? A drop of water splattered onto the cold ground. Hastily, Sora walked away, not bothering to wipe the tears that streaked her cheeks. 

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Taichi sighed. The conversation with Mimi had ended ages ago, yet he couldn't get that one phrase out of his mind. _You'll never know until you knock_

Frustrated, he vented by punching the pillow next to him. "I know that!" he exclaimed to the ceiling. "All I have to do is knock! But I can't! I…I can't…" Taichi growled in aggravation before dropping to his knees. 

"I don't know if I can take more heartbreak" he whispered, broken. Yet…still…

_You'll never know until you knock_

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"This is ridiculous" Sora muttered to herself. She had been walking outside since that phone call. 

_…getting married…_

"I should be happy. Marriage is a happy thing. I should be happy for them" Yet no matter how often she told herself that, the same thing would happen. Bitterness would surge up within her before giving way to depression. 

"The guardian of love, unable to find it herself" she whispered. Guardian of love. The idea floated in her head, mocking her as she sought rest. "Why?" She sat down, defeated. Somehow, she had ended up at the park after fleeing from the stores. She closed her eyes as the conversation started to replay in her head.

----------

_…getting married! Isn't that great?_

Sora stared at the phone like it was some kind of sick, twisted joke. She wanted to pinch herself, throw the phone into the wall, scream her frustration into the phone… "Yea! It's great. I'm so…happy…" she trailed off.

_Sora?_

"Hm?" 

_What's wrong?_

"Nothing! I'm just so…happy…I don't know what to say…" Mentally she sighed. She couldn't even convince herself that what she was saying was true.

----------

Sora sighed. She stared that the pale sky.  "What's wrong with me? Why can't I be happy?" She kicked at the ground in annoyance. "What do I have to do to be happy? Please God…just give me a sign…" she whispered, despondent. She closed her eyes, content to leave her mind blank- anything to try and forget the pain of loneliness in her heart. 

"Hey lady, watch out!" 

Sora's eyes snapped open and she turned her head toward that sound. Next thing she saw was a ball speeding toward her face. Sora's instinctively reached out and smacked the ball away. "_Thank God for those old tennis reflexes_" she thought wryly. She stood up and picked up ball that had fallen harmlessly to the side.  She stopped and stared. A little boy, no older than 5 or 6 was running up to her. His dark hair fell in disarray over his large brown eyes. "I'm really sorry lady!" he slid to a halt in front of her. Sora stared at the small child. He looked so much like…blinking, she shook her head slightly. "It's alright" she responded as she handed him the soccer ball. His small hands gripped it tightly. "I'm really sorry. I was just trying to teach my friend how to play soccer" He gestured to another child farther down the field. Sora smiled. She glanced at the other child and her eyes widened in shock. "A girl?" 

Sora hadn't even realized that she had said it out loud until the young boy spoke up. "Yea, but she's cool for a girl" Sora glanced down at him, then gave him a gentle smile. The little boy looked up at her and gave Sora a shy grin. "I'm going to marry her one day" 

Sora could swear that her heart really did stop that time. She stared at the young boy in shock as he ran back to his friend, a little red-headed girl. She watched them for a minute before a slow smile graced her face. God had given her the sign she had asked for. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taichi stared at the door. "C'mon, you made it this far" he chided himself. "It's only a door" Taichi steeled himself. He could do this. 

Knock knock

Taichi stood there, nervously. He fidgeted as he waited for an answer. He stood there, waiting to hear her musical voice call out. Instead, he was greeted with…nothing. He glanced at the parking lot. Her car was here. He had glanced at the window. There were no lights on. The next thing heard was the sound of Taichi's head hitting the door. "_You baka. You work yourself all up for this and then it turns out she's not home_" He sighed. Maybe this was a sign. Turning around, he headed home. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sora waited. A serene smile spread upon her lips. She should be nervous. She should be having some doubts. Something!…but no, she never felt so free in her life. She never felt so secure, so happy. Only one thing could make her happier. Impatiently she waited. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taichi kicked the sidewalk. He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a roll of mentos. This has become a habit of his. His apartment was littered with mentos wrappers. He hastily unwrapped the package and popped one in his mouth. This was ridiculous. His life was ridiculous. He spent half of his life in love with a girl, then spent the other half denying the fact that he was in love with her. He had the distinct feeling that fate either didn't like him, or liked to mess with him. In fact, even as he walked toward his doorstep, he could swear she was sitting there, waiting for him. 

Taichi stopped. 

At that moment, he was pretty sure the world stopped as well. 

Sora was there. There she was, sitting on his doorstep. Taichi blinked, completely shocked. He watched as she stood up, a small grin on her face. Numbly, he walked forward, almost mechanically, half-expecting her to disappear suddenly. He stopped an arm's length away from her. 

She had not moved from her post at his door. She watched as he approached her, her eyes searching. "Sora?" he whispered. She looked at him, then a smile suddenly graced her features. Before Taichi knew what was happening, Sora ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. The next thing he felt were her soft lips upon his. She closed her eyes, while his stayed open in shock. He could barely register the fact that it was Sora who was kissing him. The love of his life. She pulled away and looked Taichi in the eye, biting the inside of her bottom lip, as if awaiting judgment. The pair stared at each other until reality finally set in and smacked Taichi in the head. He blinked as he realized that she was waiting for him to say something, anything. "Wow"

Sora smiled, her eyes shining with love. "Taichi, I…"

"Will you greet me like that everyday?" he interrupted.

Sora looked at him, taken aback for a second, then smiled and slapped him playfully on the arm. "Taichi!" He simply laughed as his arms wound their way around her waist. She looked at him expectantly. The look in his eyes made her breath catch. "Sora…" he whispered as he pulled her closer to him. "Yes?" she breathlessly replied. She felt like her legs were going to give way any second if he continued to stare at her like that. She could feel herself becoming lost in his eyes. Her eyes flicked to his lips, achingly close to hers. She turned her eyes back to his, and saw in his eyes what she had been searching for her whole life. "Sora…I…" His warm breath on her lips was driving her to the brink of insanity. "I love you. I'm utterly, hopelessly, in love with you" Taichi whispered. Sora's hands moved from around his neck to run through his dark hair. "Guess what" she whispered back, a smile playing on her lips.

"What?" his lips were just hovering above hers, their warm breaths mingling with each other.

"I love you too" she whispered.

Taichi smiled. He leaned down and captured her lips with his. As the gentle kiss turned passionate, a thought ran through his head. Maybe fate didn't hate him as much as he thought. It just liked to put up a fight. 

**nightflame:** thus it ends. *turns to taichi* what do you think?

**taichi:** *sobbing on the ground* 

**nightflame:** *panics* omigosh!!! I made my muse cry!! I'm sorry!!!! *hovers over taichi apologetically*

**taichi:** *pushes nightflame away* I'm not sad!! I'm crying tears of joy!! That was so…so…*breaks down again* I'M SO HAPPY!! *sob*sob*

**nightflame:** ^^; well then…I guess taichi likes my ending. I'm actually quite proud of this story and especially this chapter. I especially like the little kid part…and the end, of course! *^^* And in case you're wondering who's getting married…well, I figured every story should have a little mystery. Thanks to everyone who ever reviewed- you guys are the greatest! Leave me your comments! Should I write an epilogue, etc. etc. To logan- I hope that this had enough fluff to help you survive another day and won't require the sponsorship of several ABC liquor stores *^^* well, for now, I'm off. Ja mata atode!


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